OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Former University of Arizona basketball player Steve Kerr is the NBA's coach of the year, after leading to the Golden State Warriors to the best regular season record in league history.
Kerr got 64 first-place votes from the panel of 130 media members who regularly cover the league. Portland's Terry Stotts was second in relatively close voting. San Antonio's Gregg Popovich was third.
Kerr missed the Warriors' first 43 games this season while recovering from back surgeries, with the team being operated in his absence by assistant coach Luke Walton. Voters took notice of Walton's work as well; he finished tied for eighth in the balloting.
Golden State finished 73-9 this season, breaking the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' record of 72-10 for the best record in league history. Kerr played for that Chicago team.
Kerr led the Wildcats to their first Final Four in 1988. He hit more than 57 percent of his three-pointers at the UA and nearly 48 percent of long-distance shots as a pro.
